According to the four-count indictment, Nobles and unnamed co-conspirators defrauded Washington Mutual Bank and other lenders of $2.5 million in loans through the purchase of nine homes in Columbus.

Using companies he operated, including Home Team Solutions, Zircon Funding and Noble Presence Farm, Nobles bought the houses, made cosmetic improvements and then had mortgage brokers help sell the homes, usually within months of their purchase.

The brokers found buyers, had Nobles put up down-payment money and then lied on loan applications about the down-payment source and the buyers’ incomes.

The purchase price of each home was inflated so Nobles could make a profit and pay kickbacks of $4,000 to $100,000 to the brokers and others, the indictment says.

Investigators from the Internal Revenue Service found that the scheme operated from January 2006 to February 2008 and included houses at 241 Benton St. and 439 Fairwood Ave., both on the Near East Side. The other properties are not listed in the indictment.

The Franklin County auditor’s website shows that Nobles purchased the Benton Street property in 2007 for $30,100 and sold it in 2008 for $195,000. In 2011, the most recent owner purchased it for $43,000.

The site shows that Nobles’ Zircon company bought the Fairwood Avenue home in 2007 for $24,000 and sold it a few months later for $217,000. Its most recent owner paid $72,000 in 2012.

No date has been set for Nobles’ first appearance in federal court.

Punishment for bank fraud and mortgage fraud is up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Punishment for the money-laundering charges is up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.